• Davey: Gaza ceasefire deal must be first step
• Tim Farron: Govt must protect customers and replace Ofwat
• Lib Dems: Religious hate crime on the rise “demands response”
• 12 hour waits in A&E surge by 25% to worst September on record as Lib Dems call on Govt to protect NHS against winter “cliff edge”

Davey: Gaza ceasefire deal must be first step

Responding to news of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said on X:

News of a ceasefire deal in Gaza brings real hope.

The UK and our allies must do all we can to get the hostages home, get aid in to starving people, and finally end this horrific violence.

This must be the first step towards a two-state solution and a lasting peace.

Tim Farron: Govt must protect customers and replace Ofwat

Responding to the news that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has allowed five water companies to increase bills by a higher amount than Ofwat had originally allowed, Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, said:

This is not a functioning market; it is a rigged racket. Customers are seeing their water bills rocket, whilst leaky infrastructure further deteriorates and gallons of disgusting sewage is pumped into British rivers and seas.

These increases are disgraceful and insulting to customers. They shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the failures of private water companies to clean up the mess they themselves created. And we shouldn’t have a regulator that can simply be ignored.

Enough is enough. The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to get on with replacing Ofwat with a new, powerful regulator and implement a single social tariff to better protect the most vulnerable customers.

Lib Dems: Religious hate crime on the rise “demands response”

Responding to the latest hate crime statistics, which show a 3% increase in religious hate crime over the year, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Women and Equalities Marie Goldman said:

These figures are deeply worrying and a damning indictment of the spread of antisemitism, Islamophobia and wider hatred in our society. This demands a response from all of us.

The awful events of last week including the terror attack on the Manchester Synagogue and the arson attack at a Sussex Mosque did not happen in a vacuum. Those who spread hatred, who incite violence, must face the full force of the law. So much vile content is allowed to spread unchecked on social media platforms. Elon Musk and other owners must step up and take responsibility for removing this hateful content.

Right now, communities up and down the country are increasingly worried by the rise of this behaviour. No one should have to live in fear simply because of who they are.”

Liberal Democrats want to see proper reform of existing powers so that the criminals and hate preachers are targeted and brought to justice. We need to see a return to proper community policing to reassure communities, and we desperately need political leadership that brings people together.

12 hour waits in A&E surge by 25% to worst September on record as Lib Dems call on Govt to protect NHS against winter “cliff edge”

Responding to NHS data published today which reveals that the number of 12-hour waits in A&E surged by nearly 10,000 last month, an increase of 25% on August and the worst September on record, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Helen Morgan said:

Our NHS is hurtling toward a cliff edge. Behind these statistics are thousands of vulnerable people waiting many hours, sometimes days, in pain and discomfort. Patients deserve better.

The Government must pull its head out of the sand. Without urgent action we could face the worst winter in NHS history. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an immediate emergency package to protect the NHS this winter, with extra social care places to free up beds, a qualified clinician in every A&E waiting room to identify patients at risk, and a recruitment drive for out-of-hours GPs.